Antwerp World Diamond Centre to host groundbreaking diamond conference

The conference will be addressed among others by Deputy Prime Minister of Angola Aguinaldo Jaime; South African Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica; Nobel

Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz; Kimberley Process chairman Karel Kovanda; Sergey Vybornov, President of Alrosa; Gareth Penny, Managing Director of De Beers, and many other leading figures. The conference will also involve the leading mining companies and representatives of all other major producing countries.

The keynote speech at the conference gala dinner will be given by development campaigner Bob Geldof. The gala dinner will be graced with the presence of guests of honor H.R.H. Princess Mathilde of Belgium and H.E. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the president of Liberia who was elected in 2005 and is Africa's first elected female head of state.